The Reconstruction of Fire-Damaged Industrial Steel Halls

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The Reconstruction of Fire-Damaged Industrial Steel Halls

Journal Title: Safety & Fire Technology - Year 2016, Vol 44, Issue 44

Abstract

Objective: Development, within the renewal programme, of optimum reconstruction strategy for damaged bearing structures of fire-damaged steel industrial halls. Method: Case analysis of fire-damaged steel halls differing in structure, consequence class, thermal exposure range and scale of fire damage. Inventory of fire effects in three analysed industrial buildings belonging to consequence classes CC3 or CC2 determined the accepted hall reconstruction strategies in prepared renovation designs. Results: In all the cases examined, the impact of fire expressed itself in the form of more or less pronounced geometrical imperfections of local and global nature. Designs for post-accident repairs of these buildings were prepared based on the computer modelling of 2D or 3D bar structures including modelling of documented geometrical imperfections. The assessment of steel structure reliability after a fire was then possible in line with the procedures provided for in Eurocode 3. As a consequence of the adopted structural-improvement strategy, the buildings were returned to service soon after the fire, and the financial consequences of downtime were limited to the necessary minimum. Conclusions: During the designing of new steel structures, especially in the case of buildings characterised by a large volume and a relatively low fire load, an in-depth analysis of fire action on the bearing structure, using advanced FEM numerical models, is justified. The existing steel halls, in which a localised or fully developed fire occurred, resulting in structural damage, constitute the second group of buildings having steel-bearing structure. The strategy for preparing a recovery programme in such a case involves the replacement with new components or the strengthening of permanently deformed structural components. The scope of the required repairs and reinforcements, being a result of the numerical model assumed for control static calculations and user-accepted values of geometrical imperfections in the structure, remains an open issue for the designer. The proposed computational procedures in the field of modelling and evaluation of the reliability of steel structures, derived in accordance with the recommendation in Eurocode 3, in many real-life cases of fire-damaged hall buildings are sufficient to estimate their durability. The time consuming, comprehensive FEM analyses of the structures taking into account the heat flow during fire and the resultant 3D deformations of the steel bar components are not necessary in such cases.

Authors and Affiliations

M. Gwóźdź, P. Woźniczka, A. Tkaczyk

Keywords

EP ID EP363550
DOI 10.12845/bitp.44.4.2016.4
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